Test of Time
by PurpleIvy
Summary: Jareth has waited too long to pluck Sarah from the Above. Can he reverse her fate to make her his?
1. Chapter 1

She sighed and stared at the screen that sat waiting for her witty words. She had no story in mind, could think of nothing that would capture someone'e imagination. There she sat. Trapped. The blank page taunting her she watched the cursor blink its repititious flicker torturing her dry mind.

"Now love," the voice she had been craving sounded behind her. "How can you think of nothing to write? You have such a captivating muse."

She huffed a breath blowing her hair out of her eyes, "I don't know, but I need to get something going. I feel like a pen without ink, useless."

"You are far beyond useless," he reached around her tapping out the word 'Love'.

She laughed mirthlessly, "Yea I am full of love, full of love without an outlet. You only come around when you need something. That is not love."

She turned in her chair to face him, "What is it now?"

He looked at her face tired and starting to age, the lines by her mouth were starting to show and he could hear in her tone that he was close to losing her. Age had caught up with his princess, he hadn't taken her humanity seriously and now time was beginning it ravage upon her soft features. He looked in her eyes and saw the tears form.

"Sarah, maybe its time for you to accompany Underground."

"Time?" she laughed. "I would say that time has passed Jareth. I look old enough to be your mother. How would that appear to your sensitive Fae constituents?"

He knelt before her seeing her clearly, she was quite correct, she had aged so much so quickly. Well, if he were honest with himself it wasn't all that quick, he hadn't really thought at all of her getting older. He kicked himself that should have been in the forefront of his mind. He knew she wouldn't last forever in the Above and hadn't stopped in all this time to bring her to the Underground to ensure that she would be with him always. What could he do to reverse the time that had taken its toll on his love?

She looked away from his eyes, "Jareth there is nothing you can do, I am old, so much more than when we first met. Please leave me be, let me go. Find someone more suitable."

He stood and turned away from her trying to deny her words and knowing her couldn't. He slowly produced a crystal and held it up to her, "If you ever, ever change your mind call me I will come in an instant."

He pulled her weathered hand to his lips and blinked out of her realm. Sarah brought her hand up and ran the spot he had kissed across her lips. She missed him already, but couldn't bring herself to call on him. She knew she never would, . She let the crystal fall to the hard stone floor and shatter.


	2. Chapter 2

**_It slipped my mind in the previous chapter. I own nothing of Labyrinth._**

**_This was part of One Shot Island but I changed my mind and thought to make it a bit longer. Please let me know what you think. _**

Jareth paced the length of his throne room, exasperatingly muttering to himself about age. She would never call on him, he knew. He had felt the crystal shatter after he had left her. She would continue to sit in the world above and age. This was all his fault he should have loved her more and forced her to come with him. Here she would no longer age, he could not bring back her youth, but she would be with him forever. Forever his.

She would never consent to staying in the Underground as she now was, aged. Her vanity would not have it. Hard headed woman that she was, had always been. She would rather stay there and die of old age than live forever an old woman. He produced the clock that he had shown her her allotted hours a lifetime ago. Could he reorder time to bring them back to the beginning? Force her to choose him instead of Toby? He had done so much with time, had played with so many wisher's options concerning it. Could he bend it to his will to such an extreme?

He looked at the clock again staring at the thirteen, if he failed he would obliterate her and himself, but what kind of life would he have without her? He hoped their world could stand the test he was about to put it to.


	3. Chapter 3

_**I haven't been writing lately due to work, school, and just plain busy, but I reread this and thought I'd work on it a bit. Not exactly sure how this will play out, but I'll come up with something as it goes along. **_

_**Reviews are very welcomed and appreciated. :) **_

_**PurpleIvy.**_

He stood beside the large clock that had held Sarah's hours watching a large window of time that was rewinding all the years of her life. She had spent so much time alone which caused him a pang of guilt and grief. Her dates far and few between. He could read the torment that accompanied each one as she discovered that that man she was with could not compare to the love she held for another. He wondered how he could have been so blind to her. He had spent time with her, knew that she loved him, but missed the extent that love. He was happy knowing he had some part of her heart, but didn't think far enough ahead to bring her to his world forever.

Anger flared within him as he skipped across one fellow who had made it to Sarah's bed, he was biting the muscle of her shoulder tenderly causing Sarah to moan, his sensitive Fae hearing picking up the whisper of his name. 'Jareth.' She called to him even when loving another? What a fool he had been. Allowing the window to continue its course to their shared path and a bit beyond. It finally stopped to where he saw himself getting ready to enter her window.

He looked at himself wondering if his hair was always so poofy, maybe a bit less volume was in order. He shook his head to clear the random thought. He had to get to his other self before their first interaction. He heard Sarah calling for Toby and longed to intervene at this moment, to end the possible catastrophe this all could cause. Sitting rather precariously on the ledge around the edge of the house, he grabbed his other self.

"Excuse me," said the Fae rather perturbed at being interrrupted. Catching sight of himself his eyes widened, this was a rather unorthodox action. He looked closer to ensure that he was not being fooled by another Fae intent on stealing his human prize.

Jareth saw, with a bit of amusement the anger on his face, and wondered if he always looked that way when he was angry. It was quite surprising anyone feared him at all. Perhaps it was time for a change in his appearance all together. He placed his finger to his lips indicating silence was in order.

"What are you doing here?" asked the younger version of himself.

"This girl is special," he began trying to impress the importance Sarah would come to play in his life. "You think now it is just a game, another runner to torture for your amusement. If you allow her to slip from our grasp it will be you who will have an eternity of torment."

"This child? A mere slip of a girl will cause me, us eternal torment? I think not."

An exasperated sigh escaped him, had he really been this obstinate? No wonder he never thought of more than the pleasure of Sarah's company for more than the time he was with her. He was an idiot.

"Listen to me, she will come to love you, you will fall in love with her, but she is human, her time will grow short, her age an issue. Convincing her to stay is of the upmost importance.

The younger Fae looked at the the child before him, concern etched in her pretty face, panic clearly controlling her at the moment. She looked rather weak. This girl, what challenge could someone like her hold for him, The Goblin King? He didn't quite believe the older version of himself, but a look at the man beside him, his features a contortion of love, misery, and hope gave him reason to pause. Perhaps there is more than meets the eye with this one.

"Alright then, the game has changed, if she proves to be as worthy as you say, I will work to make her my queen."


End file.
